Biodynamic agriculture, which has consistently increased in popularity over the years, was born from a single course of eight lectures delivered by Rudolf Steiner in Koberwitz (now in Poland) in June 1924. In The Agriculture Course Peter Selg presents an unprecedented study of the context within which the lectures took place, conveying a tangible sense of the celebratory mood and atmosphere of those Whitsun events. He highlights Steiner's intentions for the course - as well as the parallel lectures he gave in Breslau - by drawing widely on the available literature and numerous archive materials.
At Passiontide 2004, Judith von Halle received the stigmata - the duplication on her body of the wounds of Christ. Following a period of careful consideration, she eventually decided to share this intimate occurrence with a small group in Berlin in Michaelmas of that year. The phenomenon of the stigmata is usually either seen as a sheer miracle or is simply denied. In contrast, in her first lectures here, she attempts to arrive at a clear understanding of it - based on the spiritual scientific knowledge of Rudolf Steiner - and its significance for one's personal destiny.
Responsible Medicine Based on a Spiritual View of Creation
• Werner Hartinger, MD
Respected surgeon and medical doctor Werner Hartinger investigates the claims and counterclaims concerning experimentation on animals. Through meticulous analysis he comes to the conclusion that animal experiments are not only unnecessary, but that the experiments themselves are questionable and lead to meaningless results. The cruelty imposed upon animals is therefore not only gratuitous, he argues, but is unhelpful in the development of good medicine for human beings.
A Concise Introduction to Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Philosophy
• Henk van Oort
Rudolf Steiner's work is recognized today largely due to the prominence of the international Steiner school movement, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical (holistic) medicine, and so on. However, the comprehensive spiritual philosophy that stands behind these practical initiatives is not so well known. In this concise presentation, based on years of giving introductory courses on the subject, van Oort presents an overview of key aspects of Steiner's thought. He deals with concepts such as body, soul and spirit, the relationship between man and animal, and the evolution of consciousness. The latter subject opens up panoramic vistas of human development in the form of successive cultural periods extending over thousands of years.
The Christological and Cosmic-Human Dimension of The Philosophy of Freedom
• Sergei O. Prokofieff • translated by Maria St. Goar
'I asked Rudolf Steiner: "What will remain of your work thousands of years from now?" He replied: "Nothing but the Philosophy of Freedom. But in it everything else is contained. If one realizes the act of freedom described there, one can discover the whole content of Anthroposophy."' - Walter Johannes Stein
In ancient times, people's experience of the divine was imbued with the feminine archetype. The world of spirit was seen to be populated by goddesses, and women were honoured as priestesses and guardians of sacred rites. The later Greek and Roman civilizations, in contrast, were characterized by the principle of patriarchy, which still dominates our culture - despite the political and social emancipation of women in the West.
The Italian Renaissance is considered by many to mark the beginning of the modern age, the name itself - literally meaning 'rebirth' - accurately expressing the innovation that took place during this period. Renaissance thinkers took a vital interest in history, literature and the arts, focusing on the human world as much as, if not more than, that of God; and the rapid development of the arts and sciences reflected their study of the visible, physical world in all its three-dimensional glory.
Maria Thun, a pre-eminent expert in biodynamic cultivation methods - sometimes referred to as "premium organic" - has here compiled over 100 of her best gardening tips based on 50 years' research.
Koberwitz 1924 and the Introduction of Biodynamics
• Compiled and edited by Adalbert Graf von Keyserlingk
In 1924 at Koberwitz, the estate of Count and Countess Keyserlingk, Rudolf Steiner gave a key course of lectures on agriculture. At a time when industrial methods were being introduced into farming, Steiner had a radically different, evolutionary, vision. Based on a revitalized relationship with nature, his approach encompassed knowledge of the cosmos, the elemental world and the earth, and utilized special planting methods and preparations. Today his biodynamic agriculture is widely valued and used around the world.
Krishnamurti, Rudolf Steiner, Valentin Tomberg, and the Mystery of the Twentieth-Century Master
with new Foreword and Afterword by T.H. Meyer
• T.H. Meyer
'Enthusiastic readers are sometimes heard to say of a book: "I couldn't put it down" This is obviously either a metaphor or else a gross hyperbole. But I can't recall any book as to which in my case it came nearer to the literal truth than The Bodhisattva Question.' - Owen Barfield
Born in 1900 in Russia, Valentin Tomberg was for many years an enthusiastic student of Anthroposophy. In 1945, however, he converted to Roman Catholicism and completely turned his back on the former phase of his life. By the time of his death in 1973 he had written two major works Meditations on the Tarot and Covenant of the Heart in which he presents much esoteric knowledge, but now under the spiritual authority of the Catholic Church.
• Dietrich Bauer • Max Hoffmeister • Hartmut Goerg
"When I had been expecting my daughter for five months, I had a dream. I saw the face of an embryo with large, wide-open eyes. It looked at me with an infinitely profound look, full of peace. It was almost smiling, and without moving its lips I felt it speaking to me. It gave me to understand that it was looking forward to coming to me, to being born and to lie in my arms. This unborn child looked at me for a long time, and its eyes were full of love... When my daughter had been born, she opened her eyes and looked at me, and it was the same look, the same eyes which had looked at me in my dream..." (From Chapter 1.)